Kurt Tank

Kurt Tank (24 February 1898-5 June 1983) was a German aeronautical engineer and test pilot who led the design department at Focke-Wulf from 1931 to 1945 during World War II. He was responsible for the creation of several important Luftwaffe planes during the war.

Biography
Kurt Tank was born in Bromberg, Province of Posen, German Empire (now Bydgoszcz, Poland) on 24 February 1898, and he served in the Imperial German Army cavalry at his father's insistence, although he wanted to join the air corps. Tank was decorated for his service in World War I, and he became a test pilot for Albatros. In 1931, he was made the leader of the design department at Focke-Wulf, and his design of civilian planes in the 1930s led to the company becoming very wealthy. During World War II, he designed planes for the Luftwaffe, including the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat fighter, the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 fighter-interceptor, and some experimental planes that were not used or produced before the war's end. After the war, he worked with the Allied Powers before building an aircraft factory in Argentina, introducing his FMA IAe 33 Pulqui II jet fighter to the Argentine air force; he had originally designed the plane under Nazi Germany. After the overthrow of Juan Peron in 1955, he moved to India to produce more planes, and he later returned to West Germany, where he died in 1983.